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Fat Joe |
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Booking >> |
Biography
As a youth coming of age in the harsh atmosphere of the
South Bronx, Joey Cartagena was profoundly affected by the
tapes of Zulu Nation hip-hop parties brought home by his
older brother Angel.
Shortly thereafter he was making his own local reputation as
a graffiti artist (he still maintains strong ties with
Bronx-based TATS crew) under the nom de guerre of Joey
Crack, and as the nickname implies, he also made a
reputation in the narcotics trade. He eventually parlayed
these multiple sources of street credibility into a record
deal with Relativity Records, releasing his debut Represent
under the new-found persona of Fat Joe Da Gangsta, and
promptly scored a Billboard number 1 rap single in "Flow
Joe". The debut's combination of ruthless realism and
sterling production, furnished mostly by fellow Bronx
residents the D.I.T.C. crew, garnered considerable attention
and numerous fans, although a certain inconsistency of
lyrical content engendered rumours that Joe was not always
writing his own rhymes.
The 1995 follow-up Jealous One's Envy addressed these
criticisms in no uncertain terms while largely maintaining
the winning formula; a hustler's-eye view of reality backed
by unassailable hardcore production (provided by DJ Premier
among others). This period found Joe building alliances and
broadening his appeal somewhat, appearing with LL Cool J on
"I Shot Ya" and with Raekwon on "Firewater". Similar
power-moves resulted in the formation of his own Mystic
imprint and a distribution-deal with Big Beat/Atlantic
Records for the 1998 release of Don Cartagena. Although this
latest incarnation of Fat Joe hardly abandoned the gangsta
image, it did mark an increase in social consciousness
purportedly inspired by a meeting with Nation Of Islam
leader Louis Farrakhan, whose influence can be heard in the
twin strains of cultural nationalism and conspiracy theory
running through "The Hidden Hand". Living up to the mantle
of "don" assumed with that record, Joe began grooming a
right hand man of comparable stature (Big Punisher), and
placed himself at the helm of a group of younger artists (the
Terror Squad). Both acts reached the upper tiers of the US
charts with their respective debuts. Fat Joe's commercial
renaissance continued in 2001 with the highly successful
Jealous Ones Still Envy. The following year he enjoyed a US
number 2 hit single, collaborating with Ashanti on "What's
Luv?".
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DISKOGRAPHIE
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DJ Blackmusic